'Akufo-Addo's declaration is wake-up call for Mahama'

Ambassador-designate to the Netherlands, Dr. Tony Aidoo says the declaration by Nana Akufo-Addo to make another bid to the presidency, should stir up the John Mahama administration to live up to expectation or risk being kicked out of government.
Following his defeat, the New Patriotic Party flagbearer in the 2012 elections after taking a six-month long break from politics announced on Thursday his decision to contest for the flagbearership slot of his party even at age 70, when nominations are opened.
His critics -including governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) -say at his age, the twice defeated presidential hopeful should rather consider taking a back stage to give the younger generation of the NPP an opportunity to contest the position.
But speaking on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM, Friday, the former Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency believes, Nana Addo's return to politics would intensify competition ahead of the 2016 general elections.
According to him, "Nana Addo's declaration to stand is good from the national interest point of view; it means that it intensifies competition and it should also be a wake-up call for the Mahama administration...".
"It's going to be a match between the youth and the aged to the extent that the Mahama administration must put its confidence in the youth, and it means that, that administration must not fail because if it does...the electorate would then think that this group are not delivering what we want...".
A third defeat
Nonetheless, Dr Tony Aidoo, however, sounded convinced Nana Addo will taste his third defeat on a row, condemning the NPP flagbearer over what he claimed was Nana Addo's attempt to foment trouble anytime he lost an election.
"Nana Addo must realise that on two occasions he has brought the nation to the brink in his ambition to be a president. In 2008 his party [NPP] tried to steal the elections by nefarious means and the tension that it created and then [in] 2012, going to [the Supreme] court without any justifiable cause. The electorate is not going to forgive him...and I think those people will vote against him.
"He also has to fight the battle of the youth against the aged within his own party relative to the primaries that he must go through first. In this case I think a person like Alan Kyerematen is going to give him a good run for his money," he added.
Mustapha Hamid, spokesperson for Nana Addo, has however, rejected the claim that the flagbearer sought to cause confusion in the country when he lost the 2008 and 2012 elections.
"They [NDC] were the ones that massed up at the Electoral Commission [in 2008] to say that the EC was manipulating the figures... Bringing the country to the brink, is means taking your case to the streets.
"But if you take your case to the courts, it's a civil way of doing things and I don't think that civil ways of doing things bring countries to brinks," Mustapha asserted.
Irrelevant arguments
In another development, suspended founder member of the NPP, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby has described as irrelevant, suggestions that Nana Akufo-Addo is too old for another campaign.
"Nana [Akufo-Addo] has a right to run, whether it is his age or three times whatever".
Those are irrelevant because, former Senegalese president Abdulai Wade was over 70 years before becoming president of that country despite losing many elections, Dr. Wereko-Brobby cited.
He rather counseled delegates who will be voting to select a competent candidate during the primaries which will then be in the supreme interest of the party.Source: myjoyonline.com« Previous | Next »View Comments